Cattle station owners are being warned about the dangers of unguarded bore pumps after a station worker was tragically killed in the Northern Territory late last year.
A Territory station worker failed to return after checking bores on a property late last year.
The worker was later found entangled in a bore pump with fatal injuries.
Preliminary findings indicate the worker's clothing got caught in the bore pump's moving parts, police said.
WorkSafe NT said the pump's pulley's and belt were unguarded exposing the worker to a number of hazards including entanglement, friction and abrasion hazards, when the pump was running.
Queensland WorkSafe authorities are continuing investigations into two incidents also from late last year.
In one incident a worker suffered serious arm injuries when he was caught in a conveyor belt system and in a separate incident, a young worker received significant degloving injuries to both hands after being pulled into a conveyor system.
WorkSafe officials are warning owners and operators of machinery or items of plant to manage the hazards associated with a person coming into contact with the machine's moving parts.
"Isolating a machine's moving parts using guards is an option to reduce the risk of accidental contact," a NT WorkSafe spokesman said.
"Guards are covers, casing or shields that create a physical barrier preventing a worker (or others), their clothing, personal protective equipment or other accessories from making contact with any moving part."
Guards should be fitted to prevent contact with:
Rotating or moving parts;
- Potential crush, shear or nip points on the machine; or
- Parts of the machine which become very hot during normal operations.
Guards should:
- be of solid construction and securely mounted so as to resist impact or shock;
- be difficult to by-passing or disable, whether deliberate or accidental;
- only be altered or removed by the use of tools;
- not create additional risks such as obstruct an operator visibility or reduce ventilation and cause overheating.
If the guarded area needs access for maintenance or cleaning, property owners are advised to install an interlocked physical barrier that allows access.
Ensure safety procedures are in place, and understood, when workers have to conduct maintenance of the plant; and ensure workers operating, or working near machines do not have ripped or loose items of clothing, hair, personal protective equipment or jewelry which may get caught.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
